A Dying Breed

[Greg Hyde]

A Dying Breed

Recently, DeHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter numbers have been reduced to one (VH-ZKF) aircraft operating in Australia with Seair Pacific on the Gold Coast. The other two on the Australian register (VH-BVS & VH-XFM) are both operating overseas.

Of the fifty-five Twin Otters that have appeared on the Australian Register from 1966 to 2016, registrations peaked in 1997 with twenty-five of the type.

Operated by TAA and Ansett via MMA and Aeropelican the Twin Otter has been well known for Australian & PNG bush operations.

The first DHC-6 in Australia was delivered to TAA on July 7, 1966 was VH-TGR which was the sixth aircraft off the production line. Unfortunately VH-TGR was lost when it crashed at Kainatu PNG on April 28, 1970

[Grahame Hutchison]

May 20 1965 was the first flight of the DHC-6 Twin Otter, 51 years ago.

In the 1980s, AeroPelican operated a high frequency service between Sydney Airport and Belmont Airport (Pelican) south of Newcastle. From memory it
was something like 12 return services per day. If you spent the morning at Sydney Airport photographing, the Aeropelican would just come and go all
morning long.

VH-KZP about to touchdown on Runway 25 - 18/11/1982


VH-KZN on short final for Runway 25 at Sydney - 21/03/2003


VH-KZN taxiing on Chralie for a Runway 16L departure - 16/04/2004

[MarkR]

Given they are still in production, I would hardly call them dying, unlike the SF340, Metros and Jetstreams. Single pilot IFR and the advent of the caravan was what probably caused their decline in popularity.

[Greg Hyde]

Nice shots, Grahame.

I was a regular commuter on Aeropelican for many years.

[Rob R]

Same can be said for the Embraer 110 Bandit. Like the Twin Otter it was the main stay of the regional airlines throughout the 80,90's and early 2000's. It was operated by Masling's (first Australian operator), Skywest, Eastern, Sunstate, FlightWest, Lloyds, Transtate, Hazelton, AusAir, Sunshine Express and numerous charter operators.

[Greg Hyde]

Originally Posted by Rob R

Same can be said for the Embraer 110 Bandit. Like the Twin Otter it was the main stay of the regional airlines throughout the 80,90's and early 2000's. It was operated by Masling's (first Australian operator), Skywest, Eastern, Sunstate, FlightWest, Lloyds, Transtate, Hazelton, AusAir, Sunshine Express and numerous charter operators.

Last time I check there were 7 Bandys still on the register with several spare ships. Not as dead yet.